The present invention relates generally to integrated circuits and more specifically to the testing of integrated circuit packages and the dice used therein.
Integrated circuits are generally made in silicon or other wafers. Some or all of the circuit is typically fabricated while the wafer is intact and then the wafer is diced into individual dice, each of which is then further processed to add electrical connections as part of creating the final integrated circuit package. The semiconductor dice are tested during production before the wafer is sawn or diced and the individual die are singulated.
Damage may occur to the die and the circuits of the die at any stage of the packaging and subsequent device integration after the pre-dicing wafer scale tests.
Numerous package types have evolved over time, the majority of which include some type of encapsulation to protect the die and the electrical connections (bond wires, leads, balls etc.). A more recently developed integrated circuit package referred to as a chip scale package, however, is not encapsulated at all. The die of a chip scale package is especially vulnerable as it is not encapsulated and thus lacks the protection that the encapsulation provides.